


What Is In A Name

by Kyuubiluver342



Series: The Representative [10]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Multi, Odin (Marvel)'s Bad Parenting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-15
Updated: 2019-02-15
Packaged: 2019-10-28 19:07:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,927
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17793053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kyuubiluver342/pseuds/Kyuubiluver342
Summary: Loki is gone, Thor is worried and Tony finds a strange cat in his Tower. Dealing with Gods is never easy.





	What Is In A Name

 

Thor’s first act to find Loki was to do nothing. Tony was not pleased, but Thor explained that if he went on and declared a massive search throughout the realms, that could cause panic and fear. Loki was a master trickster after all, people would assume he was up to no good and everything would dissolve into chaos. So, Thor did nothing and Tony hated to just wait around, but he had no other opinions. Three days came and went, but no sign of Loki and in the end, Tony was forced to leave.

“Be safe, Man of Iron.” Thor said with a sad smile.

Tony wished there was something he could do to help the king, but no words would comfort him until Loki was home and they could talk. Thor had bemoaned his inability to comfort his brother in his time of need and Tony, while he knew that Thor would blame himself for many years to come, he also had to wonder what Loki was thinking, leaving the way he did. Arriving back at his Tower, he paused when he got to the doorway and frowned, it was quiet. Too quiet.

“Jarvis?” he called.

The AI hadn’t welcomed him home like he normally did and that set off alarm bells. Tony pulled a gauntlet out and put it on, walking around the Tower cautiously. He considered calling for backup, maybe Fury or at least Agent in case something went wrong, but decided against it. He had just made it to his kitchen before he noticed something odd. There, on the couch, as a small black cat, curled up and sleeping. A small black cat with gold markings that kind of looked like Loki’s horns.

“Loki?” Tony called.

It was a bit of a stretch in the long run, but if it was Loki, then that meant the god was safe. If it wasn’t, then maybe Loki had dropped it off as a present? He couldn’t imagine how else it had gotten here. The cat opened one, bloodshot eye and looked at him.

“Loki?” he called again and the cat lifted it’s head.

He lowered his arm and moved closer, but slowly. He wasn’t sure what to make of this situation. Why had Loki come here? Why as a cat? And where was Jarvis?

“Sir?” Jarvis suddenly called out and Tony jumped a bit.

“Jarvis, what happened?” Tony asked.

“I am not quite sure, Sir, it seems I was forced off line until just now. But there is an odd cat on your couch. Should I call for an exterminator?” he asked.

“No! No, no, it’s fine.” Tony said as he sat in a chair nearby.

He eyed the strange cat before sighing and rubbing his eyes. He wasn’t even sure what had caused Loki to leave. Thor wouldn’t tell him anything, but he knew he had to keep Loki from disappearing again. 

“Loki, if this is you, you need to talk to me. Thor is worried sick.” Tony said and the cat looked away.

He was taking that as a sign this was Loki. Which made a lot more questions pop into his head than he really needed right now. Like why was Loki here? And seriously, why the fuck as a cat? Did he just want to hide for a bit?

“Can I tell Thor you are here? To help him relax a bit?” Tony asked, only to be hissed at.

“Ok, ok, that’s a big no….Can I at least tell him you are safe?” Tony asked.

When Loki didn’t react, he checked that off as being at least ok. Finally, they were getting somewhere.

“Are you going to be staying here a while?” Tony asked.

Loki’s tail gave a lazy flick and he just sighed. That could really mean anything, but he was going with yes.

“Ok…” Tony trailed off. 

What more was he supposed to say? He had no idea what had caused this sudden situation.

“You are welcome to stay for as long as you want, ok? Just let me know if you need anything.” Tony said after some time.

Loki just curled back up and Tony sighed. He got up and moved back towards the kitchen, placing the gauntlet on the counter.

“Sir, if I am understanding correctly, the cat on the sofa is the Royal Adviser?” Jarvis asked.

“Looks like it.” Tony replied as he poured a drink.

“And he is a cat?” Jarvis pushed.

“Eeyup.” Tony popped the ‘p’.

“I see. So should I order cat food?” Jarvis asked.

“I think that’s a good way to get me cursed, so no. We are not ordering cat food. Let’s just see where this leads from here.” Tony replied as he took a shot before pouring another.

This is what he got for dealing with Gods.

 

The next few weeks were odd at best. After sending word to Thor that Loki was safe, but no, he did not want to talk right now, it rained non-stop. Which, of course, caused massive flooding in different areas that Tony had to help with and probably permanent damage to a lot of different areas. Sometimes, being a hero wasn’t worth the ruined suits. 

Meanwhile, Loki seemed to be perfectly content to just spend his time as a cat and Tony wasn’t even sure what to do about it. Loki wouldn’t talk with him, look at him or interact with him in any way, despite living in his Tower. Some days, he would just disappear for most of the day before returning and yet, nothing changed. Tony had tried everything from talking to him normally, to begging to just down right yelling for him to reply, but Loki ignored it all. For Tony, who believed maybe, just maybe, he had connected with the God on some level during their time together, the total ignoral hurt in a way he had never felt before. 

One day, after a long day of meetings and board members and just way too much stress, Tony stumbled his way into his Tower and nearly tripped over You in the process.

“God damn it! Can you just stay out of my way!” he slurred, stumbling over to a chair, which he rather elegantly (not) threw himself into.

Loki watched this all from his perch on the wall, a small bookshelf he had knocked everything off of to make himself at home. Tony glanced his way and sneered, too drunk to really feel any kind of shame about how he was acting.

“Got something to say?” he demanded angrily.

“Sir, if I may…” Jarvis started.

“J, please just shut up.” Tony begged, rubbing his eyes.

“...Very well, Sir.” Jarvis went quiet.

Tony sat in the silence, staring at a wall for the longest time before speaking.

“Thor is worried sick about you. Has been for days, weeks at this point. He’s terrified something has happened to you and I can’t do anything to help him. He just wants to know you are ok.” Tony stated.

Loki’s tail flicked. Tony scowled and just barely resisted the urge to throw something at him.

“People would kill for someone to care about them as much as Thor cares about you, but noooo. Great Loki doesn’t care about anyone’s feelings. Wonderful, Amazing Trickster God doesn’t care about other people’s feelings.” Tony slurred, feeling his own hurt boil to the surface.

Loki hissed at him and he vaguely felt threatened, but he also felt angry. Anger won out in the end.

“Oh, piss off! You want to hide like an animal, then you don’t get a say on how I talk to you!” Tony snapped.

Loki hissed again and unsheathed his claws. Tony scowled and threw up the middle finger. They glared at each other for the longest time before Tony spoke again. Every word was powerful, his voice was steady. His words didn’t slur, they were clear.

“You know what happened to me the first time I went missing? The first time I was kidnapped? No one even noticed. No one even realized I was gone. I had to figure it out on my own, only to come home and realize no one even bothered to look for me.” Tony snapped.

“You have someone who loves you dearly and you are tormenting him for no reason! Like a spoiled child!” Tony yelled.

Loki flinched back and turned his head away. Tony, once again, resisted the urge to throw something.

“You know what my father said to the first person who called, demanding a ransom for my life? “Stark Industries doesn’t have a ransom policy” and hung up. I was six. These men had taken me from school, tied me to a chair and held me ransom for two days with no food or water and that bastard never once paid. Hell, after the first phone call, he didn’t even bother to answer the phone anymore. I escaped on my own because no one was coming to my rescue.” Tony said coldly.

Loki glanced his way, eyes sad and Tony looked away. 

“Thor would pay that ransom to have you back in a heartbeat.” Tony whispered.

Slowly, he got up and stumbled his way to the elevator. At the doors, he felt something rub against his leg and looked down. Loki was sitting by his leg, head on his calf. As the doors opened, they both got inside and rode the elevator to Tony’s floor. Tony got out and Loki followed him to his room. As Tony got changed into some sleep pants, Loki sat on the bed and waited, watching as Tony crawled in.

“Well, come on then.” Tony said, patting the space next to him.

Loki walked over and curled up, purring loudly. Tony closed his eyes and the night was peaceful.

 

The next morning, Tony woke up with a raging headache. As he sat up, something brushed against his hand and he looked down to see Loki, in cat form, asleep in his bed. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head.

“Jarvis?” he whispered.

“Sir?” Jarvis replied.

“Why the hell is Loki in my bed?” Tony asked.

“Well, Sir, you two had a very confusing heart to heart last night, where you yelled at him for being acting like a spoiled child and making King Thor upset. It was quite dramatic.” Jarvis stated.

Tony just groaned, loudly and covered his face. Though, he did kind of hope there was a recording of it because he did want to watch it later. That is if he was still alive later.

“He’s going to curse me after this, I just know it.” Tony muttered.

“I am not going to curse you. That is beneath me.” a voice said.

Tony looked down to see Loki, still in cat form, sitting up. Tony swallowed and looked at him.

“Soooo…” Tony dragged the word out and Loki sighed.

“You are and were correct. I have allowed this little charade to go on too long.” Loki stated.

“So you are going to go talk to Thor?” Tony asked and Loki gave a small nod.

“Yes, it seems we have a lot to discuss.” Loki replied softly.

Tony sat there, staring at him for the longest time before sighing.

“What happened, Loki? What made you do this?” Tony asked and Loki glanced at him.

Loki shouldn’t say anything, shouldn’t let his strange Midgardian know anything more about them, but he couldn’t help it.

“I am not an Odinson. Odin was not my father.” Loki said softly.

Tony blinked and gave him a funny look.

“Ok, you had a different dad or something, that’s not a big deal.” Tony asked.

“Not exactly.” Loki muttered.

“Then, I’m not quite following here.” Tony said and Loki sighed.

“I am not an Asgardian at all. I was taken, stolen, from my birthplace by Odin himself. If what we found is true, I am the monster that Asgardians warn their children about at night. I am...a Frost Giant.” Loki choked out.

Tony just stared at him, eyebrows raised. Loki realized Tony didn’t understand the significance and scowled.

“I am a monster, a demon, a creature of utter evil! Odin stole me away and kept me as some sort of trophy! A constant reminder of his greatest triumph! I am no more an Odinson than you are!” Loki snapped.

“But, you are Loki.” Tony replied.

“That does not matter! I am a monster! A monster that never should have been allowed to live!” Loki snapped.

“But you were. I don’t know why Odin took you or what plans he had, but I doubt Thor cares about that at all. I mean, look at Hela. It’s clear Odin didn’t exactly have a good track record with kids, his or other’s.” Tony explained.

Loki went quiet, staring at the sheets under his paws. He wanted to believe it was that easy. To just forget about it and move on, but how could he? His whole life was a lie.

“And what am I supposed to do? Am I just expected to return to Asgard with this information? Just continue my life as if I had never learned the truth?” he demanded.

“Why not?” Tony asked.

“What?” Loki questioned confused.

“Well, really, what does this change? And who knows about it? You, me, Thor and Odin, who is long since dead. And you know Thor would never hold that against you. Honestly, what do you have to lose?” Tony asked.

“If anyone else ever found out…” Loki started.

“The screw them. Look, you are the God of Mischief and you said so yourself, people don’t care much for you. If you think this will give them something else to hold over your head, don’t let them.” Tony said simply.

Loki glanced at him, stared at him with something akin to wonder. It was such a simple solution.

“You are Loki and whatever last name you take for yourself. Don’t let people take that away from you.” Tony said before getting up.

Loki sat for a moment longer before there was a bright green light. When Tony uncovered his eyes, Loki was gone.

“Huh, that went….a lot better than expected.” Tony said scratching his cheek.

“I agree with you, Sir, but I also have a feeling he was feeling a little homesick.” Jarvis replied.

Tony stared, wondering what that feeling was like before he sighed.

“Whelp, time to go to work.” he muttered.

 

King Thor sat quietly on his throne, staring at the world beyond his window. At one time, he would have felt powerful in his seat, but now, he just felt tired. He hadn’t slept a wink since Loki had left and it showed. The dark bags under his eyes and pale skin attested to that.

“Really, Brother. I have been gone for a few weeks and you have fallen to ruin?” a voice said.

Thor’s head snapped up, watching as a small black cat crept into the room. The gold markings told him everything he needed.

“Brother, you are safe.” he said with relief.

The weight on his shoulders was suddenly gone. Loki was home and he was safe. Sure the Man of Iron had told him so, but to see him with his own two eyes was better. He got off the throne and knelt down.

“Brother, please forgive me. That day I should have done more to help you. I should have tried harder.” Thor started, but Loki placed a paw on his arm.

“Calm yourself. I reacted badly. There was nothing you could have done for me.” Loki said simply and Thor smiled.

“The Man of Iron told me you were safe, but needed time. I prayed that you would not need a few years. It seems my prayers were answered.” Thor said gently.

Loki looked away and wrapped his tail around himself.

“I do admit, I had considered leaving for some time, but the Man of Iron talked me out of it. I am sorry I made you worry.” Loki stated.

Thor let out a booming laugh and sat on the floor, idly rubbing Loki on the head.

“It seems the Man of Iron is full of wisdom.” Thor said when he was done.

“So it seems. Though still full of tragedy.” Loki muttered.

“Hm?” Thor questioned.

Loki told him the story and Thor frowned. He stared at the ceiling, where the mural now sat, and wondered.

“Do you think…” Thor trailed off and Loki glanced his way.

“Go on.” Loki pushed.

“Do you think the reason he helps us is to help himself a bit?” Thor questioned.

“Oh, of that I have no doubt.” Loki replied.

Loki’s tail flicked and he laid down beside Thor.

“I have been thinking.” Thor started again.

“About?” Loki asked.

“I wish to go to Midgard.” Thor stated.

Loki’s head snapped to him.

“You wish to visit Midgard? For what reason?” Loki questioned.

“I need to speak with this council the Man of Iron talks about. I need them to see reason. That the Man of Iron is the only one we will accept. The man they sent last time was pitiful at best and I dare not host another like him.” Thor stated.

Loki frowned and looked down. It was true. It did look bad on them to accept anything less than Midgard’s best.

“Then we will set it up. I am sure the Man of Iron would be interested to see how you react to this new world.” Loki stated.

 


End file.
